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Category: Human Rights

There was this really strange interview with this wicked smart guy named Thor Halvorssen on Fox News the other day. It was really strange because it seemed that he thought he was invited onto the network to talk about something completely different. But it was clear that Fox News was trying to use the interview to tear down Bernie Sanders, instead of talking about authoritarian dictators and their human rights violations around the globe, something that Thor Halvorssen is an expert in.

Thor Halvorssen founded the Human Rights Foundation in order to take down dictators, expose corruption and help those who have been victimized by political crimes. It makes sense. Thor Halvorssen’s father was once falsely imprisoned by the dictator of Venezuela and tortured. His release was secured by human rights organizations and that had a profound impact on Thor. So it seems that Thor Halvorssen thought he was on the air to talk about his area of expertise.

Instead, the conservative news network decided to steer the interview toward presidential politics. They showed Bernie Sanders, said that he wanted America to be a socialist country, that his views were so extreme that even far left Democrats were slamming him, and that his version of socialism is a violation of basic human rights. Now, Thor Halvorssen doesn’t care what side of the political aisle you are from, he only cares about spreading open societies full of accountability and equality. So he’s visibly stunned at the questions. He attempts to sort it out.

He tries over and over again to qualify that statement — socialism is a violation of basic human rights. He keeps trying to separate the two, saying that socialism itself does not violate human rights but the people powering any form of government, including socialism, are capable of violating human rights. But when the Fox News anchor grows irritated at the fact that Thor Halvorssen won’t help her tear down Bernie Sanders, Thor swings his hammer — he proclaims his support for Bernie Sanders. It’s a jaw-dropping moment and one that, I’m sure, the Fox News network regrets.